Special Report - Brand Protection Beyond Brexit

A survey of business opinion in the UK and Europe by HGF 

Today we launch our Brand Protection Beyond Brexit Report, taking the temperature of European companies' concerns, priorities, planning, areas of doubt and perceived opportunities with regards to Brexit, Brand Protection and Business Growth as the UK prepares to leave the EU. 

Since the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016's referendum, HGF has worked to ensure that Brexit will just mean 'business as usual' for its clients.

We carried out a survey to better understand how prepared some of Europe's biggest companies are for life after Brexit, in terms of protecting their valuable IP rights and the brand equity this adds to their business. 

We consulted more than 120 companies, many of them world-leaders in their markets and industry sectors, with a specific focus on the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and The Netherlands. 

The findings are revealed in our 'Brand Protection Beyond Brexit Report'.

Among the key findings:

• Almost half of companies (46%) say they will change their brand protection strategy after the UK leaves the EU. 
• However, a third of companies (31%) still do not know how they will register trade marks after Brexit.
• A third (33%) say Brexit will make brand protection harder. 
• 61% believe it is now important to have IP advisors based in multiple European jurisdictions, with 83% saying local knowledge is the key benefit. 

To read the full report click here.

When the UK leaves the EU as expected on 31 January 2020, nothing at all will change when it comes to trade mark protection. The UK will continue to be part of EU trade mark registrations after that date. EU trade mark applications filed after that date will still include the UK. UK Attorneys will still be able to represent at the EUIPO. The UK will only leave the EU trade mark system after a lengthy transition period, and then there will be arrangements to ensure UK rights are automatically cloned.

With offices in 6 European countries, HGF is ideally placed to assist clients through the Brexit process and continue to handle all EU and UK trade mark design and other intellectual property matters as we do now. We will continue to be your trusted advisors and representatives at both the EUIPO and the UKIPO.

If you have any queries at all, please contact your usual HGF Trade Mark Attorney, or David Potter, Head of the HGF Trade Mark Team.